5 Things Rachael Ray Never Refrigerates

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Host Rachael Ray with her Roasted Meatballs and Garlic Bread, as seen on 30 Minute Meals, Season 28.

This week Rachael’s iconic show 30 Minute Meals returned to Food Network for an unprecedented 30-day run. Every day in April you can see new episodes of the show at 12|11c. To celebrate the return of the beloved series, Rachael appeared live on the Food Network Facebook page to demo some of her favorite techniques and answer fans’ questions.

Here are five things Rachael never refrigerates:

1. Tomatoes

“The fridge is the tomb of death for a tomato,” says Rachael. “If you put tomatoes in the fridge they get very grainy and mushy. It destroys them.” She stores tomatoes on the counter with the stem facing down.

2. Basil

Rachael stores basil in a cup of water at room temperature with a bag over the top. If you put in the fridge, she warns, it will turn black and spoil very quickly.

3. Onions and Garlic

Onions and garlic will take on too much moisture in the refrigerator.

4. Butter

Rachael keeps butter covered at room temperature to keep it spreadable. This is an option if you use butter frequently, otherwise it could go rancid.

5. Eggs

While most people in America don’t store their eggs at room temperature, it is common overseas. We don’t recommend storing eggs at room temperature because of the risk of salmonella. You can read more about it here: Why We Really Need to Refrigerate Eggs (and the British Don't). Rachael insists she hasn’t gotten sick from it. “Don’t do it because I said so, I’m just saying what I do.”